JPH11115471A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve draining property of condensed water in a heat exchanger for cooling in an air conditioner in which the heat exchanger for cooling is incliningly arranged and blown air flows from below toward above the heat exchanger for cooling. SOLUTION: A lower space 50 is partitioned into a space for blowing air 50a and a space for draining water 33b by a partition part 33a. Consequently, it is possible to prevent air conditioning air from blowing against an inclined lower end part 32 in which condensed water is collected upward from below. As a result, the condensed water collected in the inclined lower end part 32 is speedily drained by a drain guide plate 33b and drops on a bottom face 30a without being affected by air conditioning air to improve the draining property of the condensed water effectively.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an air conditioner, and more particularly to an air conditioner in which a cooling heat exchanger is arranged so as to be inclined, and the cooling heat exchanger flows from below to above. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a vehicle air conditioner, an evaporator (cooling heat exchanger) is arranged in an inclined manner in order to make the air conditioning unit compact in size, so that blown air flows upward from below in the evaporator. (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-104129). In this conventional apparatus, in order to improve the drainage of condensed water in the evaporator, a plurality of drain guides are provided so as to be substantially in contact with the lower part of the inclined lower end of the evaporator, that is, the outer surface of the core where heat exchanges air and refrigerant. A plate is provided.

[0003] The condensed water in the evaporator is usually generated from the entire evaporator. However, in this conventional device, since the conditioned air flows upward from below, it does not immediately fall downward due to its own weight. It flows along the surface and gathers at the lower end of the slope, and then
The condensed water is transmitted to the outside of the cabin along the surface of the drain guide plate.

Further, in the above-mentioned conventional apparatus, the drainage guide plate is formed in a cross shape so that the air flow is unlikely to rise on the back side of the drainage guide plate, so that the condensed water can be easily dropped from the inclined lower end. .

[0005]

However, according to the study of the present inventor, since the plurality of drainage guide plates are provided at intervals, the conditioned air flowing upward flows to the inclined lower end portion. At the time of blowing, the condensed water collected at the lower end of the slope is blown upward by the wind pressure of the conditioned air, and the drainage property is impaired. As a result, it has been found that the condensed water flies.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a cooling heat exchanger in which the cooling heat exchanger is arranged so as to be inclined and the blown air flows upward from below. To improve drainage of condensed water
The purpose of. Further, in the above-described conventional device, the drainage guide plate is located below the core portion, so that the flow of the conditioned air passing through the evaporator is obstructed. For this reason, there is a problem that, for example, when the interior of the vehicle is cooled by a large amount of air-conditioned air in summer or the like, the air volume is reduced.

In view of the above, the present invention provides a cooling heat exchanger in which a cooling heat exchanger is arranged so as to be inclined, and a cooling heat exchanger in which blowing air flows upward from below. Is a second purpose.

[0008]

In order to achieve the first object, according to the first to eighth aspects of the present invention, the drainage guide member () of the lower space (50) in the air conditioning case (30) is provided. 33b) has a plate-like member (33a) provided at the upper end side of the inclination, and the plate-like member (33a) is continuous in the disposing direction of the drainage guide member (33b) so as to cover the drainage guide member (33b). It is characterized by extending.

Thus, the plate-shaped member is formed so as to extend continuously in the direction in which the drainage guide member is disposed so as to cover the drainage guide member. It is difficult for the air to blow on the lower end of the gathered slope. Therefore, the condensed water collected at the lower end of the inclined surface quickly drops without being affected by the air. As a result, the drainage of condensed water can be improved.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, in the air-conditioning case (30), a drain passage for guiding condensed water dropped from the plate-shaped member (33a) to the inclined upper end side to the drain guide member (33b). (60), wherein the drain passage (60) is constituted by the lower end portions (36, 42) of the plate member (33a) and the bottom surface (30a) of the air conditioning case (30). I have.

Thus, the condensed water dripping from the plate-shaped member toward the upper end of the slope is guided to the drain guide side through the drain passage, so that the condensed water dripped from the plate-shaped member toward the upper end of the slope can be smoothly transferred to the bottom surface. I can guide you to Although a little air flows through this drain passage, the drain passage here is
This means that the air does not deteriorate the drainage of the condensed water.

Further, in the invention according to claim 3, the plate-like member (33a) and the drainage guide member (33b) are integrally formed. Thus, by integrating the plate-shaped member and the drainage guide member, the workability of attaching the plate-shaped member and the drainage guide member can be improved. According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the plate-shaped member (33a) is provided at the lower end of the lower space (50) at the inclined upper end side so that the air-blowing space (5
0a) and a drainage space (50b) for guiding condensed water at the lower end of the inclination from the ventilation space (50a).

[0013] Thus, the lower space is partitioned by the plate-like member into a ventilation space and a drainage space, so that it is ensured that air blows to the inclined lower end side of the cooling heat exchanger where condensed water collects. Can be prevented. Therefore, the condensed water collected on the lower end of the inclined surface quickly drops onto the bottom surface without being affected by air. As a result, the drainage of the condensed water can be further improved.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the drainage guide member (33b) is formed at its upper end with a drainage elastic portion (38) which elastically deforms and contacts the inclined lower end (32). It is characterized by. As a result, the drainage elastic portion is elastically deformed so as to be in contact with the inclined lower end portion, thereby reliably condensing regardless of the assembly error of the cooling heat exchanger and the manufacturing tolerance of the cooling heat exchanger itself. Water can be guided to the bottom.

Further, in the invention according to claim 6, the plate-like member (33a) has an inclined lower end (3) at its upper end (37).
It is characterized in that a partitioning elastic portion (37) that is in elastic contact with 2) is formed. As a result, the partitioning elastic portion is elastically deformed and comes into contact with the cooling heat exchanger,
The partitioning elastic portion fulfills a sealing function, and it is possible to reliably prevent the conditioned air from blowing against the inclined lower end. As a result,
The condensed water collected at the inclined lower end portion is more easily dripped on the bottom surface more quickly, and the drainage of the condensed water can be remarkably improved. .

In the invention according to claim 7, the cooling heat exchanger (21) is provided with a plurality of tubes (21) through which a refrigerant flows.
f) are laminated to form an air cooling unit (21h). At least one end of the cooling heat exchanger (21) distributes refrigerant to a plurality of tubes (21f) or a plurality of tubes (21h). A tank part (21e) for joining the refrigerant flowing through 21f) is formed, and the cooling heat exchanger (21) is provided with an air conditioning case (30) such that the tank part is located on the inclined lower end part (32) side. The drain guide member (33b) is disposed so as to substantially contact the lower surface of the tank (21e).

According to the study by the present inventors, since the outer shape of the tank is particularly complicated, it is difficult for the condensed water to collect well at the inclined lower end as in the conventional apparatus, and the condensed water is not drained. It turned out that it was easy to fly. Therefore, the present invention can particularly effectively improve the drainage of condensed water in an air conditioner having the structure as described in claim 7. Furthermore, in the present invention, since the drainage guide member is not disposed below the air cooling unit as in the conventional device, but is disposed below the tank unit, the drainage guide member does not obstruct the air passing through the air cooling unit. In addition, the air volume of the conditioned air can be increased.

Further, according to the present invention, the upper end portion (37) of the plate member (33a) is provided with an air cooling portion (21h).
And a tank portion (21e). Thus, it is possible to prevent the air from being blown to the tank part, and it is not necessary to reduce the air volume of the air passing through the air cooling part by the plate-shaped member. As a result, the drainage of the condensed water is improved, and the cooling performance of the cooling heat exchanger is not reduced.

In order to achieve the second object,
The cooling heat exchanger (21) has an air cooling unit (21h) formed by stacking a plurality of tubes (21f) through which a refrigerant flows. At least one end of the cooling heat exchanger (21) And a tank section (21e) for distributing the refrigerant to the plurality of tubes (21f) or merging the refrigerant flowing through the plurality of tubes (21f), and the cooling heat exchanger (21) includes a tank section (21e). ) Is disposed in the air-conditioning case (30) so as to be located at the lower end of the slope, and the drainage guide members (33b, 33b ') are disposed so as to substantially contact the lower surface of the tank portion (21e). It is characterized by:

Thus, according to the present invention, as described in the seventh aspect of the present invention, the drainage guide member is not disposed below the air cooling unit as in the conventional apparatus, but is disposed below the tank unit. The drainage guide member does not obstruct the air passing through the air cooling unit, and the amount of conditioned air can be increased. In the tenth aspect, the upper end portion (37) of the drainage guide member (33b ') is disposed so as to be in contact with the vicinity of the boundary between the air cooling portion (21h) and the tank portion (21e). It is characterized by:

According to the study of the present inventor, when the cooling heat exchanger is inclined to a certain degree, the condensed water is quickly spread along the surface of the cooling heat exchanger at the lower end of the tank. Runs down to Therefore, in this case, the drainage guide member may be arranged in accordance with the position where the condensed water drops from the lower end of the tank. The inventor has studied reducing the vertical dimension of the air conditioner by arranging the cooling heat exchanger at an inclination angle of 0 °, that is, closer to the horizontal direction. Then, it was found that the condensed water did not flow down to the lower end of the tank along the surface of the cooling heat exchanger as described above, but just dropped downward from near the boundary between the tank and the air cooling unit.

When the present inventor examined this phenomenon, the reason that the condensed water dripped from the vicinity of the boundary was that the condensed water that had flowed downward along the surface of the air cooling section was in the tank section as described above. Because of the complicated outer shape, it was found that most of the water was retained near this boundary, and when the amount of water retention reached a certain amount, it dropped down due to its own weight. Therefore, according to the present invention, since the upper end of the drainage guide member is disposed so as to be substantially in contact with the vicinity of the boundary between the air cooling section and the tank section (21e), the vertical dimension of the air conditioner can be reduced, and the drainage guide can be reliably provided. The plate allows the condensed water to be guided downward.

Further, the invention according to claim 11 is characterized in that the drainage guide member (33b ') is configured to extend continuously over substantially the entire area in the longitudinal direction of the tank portion (21e). Thus, since the drainage guide member extends continuously over substantially the entire area in the longitudinal direction of the tank portion (21e), it is less likely that air blows on the inclined lower end side of the drainage guide member through which condensed water flows down as compared with the related art. Therefore, the condensed water is quickly guided without being affected by the air and drops on the bottom surface. As a result, the drainage of condensed water can be improved.

In the twelfth aspect of the present invention, the condensed water dropped from the drainage guide member (33b) to the inclined upper end side is discharged into the air-conditioning case (30).
b ′) to the inclined lower end side, and has a drain passageway (60). The drainage passageway (60) is connected to the lower end portions (36, 42) of the drainage guide member (33b ′) and the bottom surface of the air conditioning case (30). 3
0a).

Thus, the condensed water dripping from the drain guide member toward the upper end of the slope through the drain passage is guided toward the lower end of the slope than the drain guide member. It can be guided smoothly to the bottom. In addition, although a little air flows through this drain passage,
The drain passage here means a passage that does not deteriorate the drainage of the condensed water by the air.

According to the thirteenth aspect of the present invention, the drainage guide member (33b ') has a lower space (50) at the inclined upper end side and a ventilation space (50a) through which air flows, and a ventilation space (50a). ), A lower end side of the slope separates into a drainage space (50b) for guiding condensed water. Thus, the lower space is partitioned into the ventilation space and the drainage space by the drainage guide member, so that it is possible to reliably prevent the air from blowing against the inclined lower end side of the cooling heat exchanger where the condensed water collects. Therefore, the condensed water collected on the lower end of the inclined surface quickly drops onto the bottom surface without being affected by air. As a result, the drainage of the condensed water can be further improved.

[0027]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

(First Embodiment) The embodiment of the present invention shown in the drawings will be described below. 1 and 2, an engine room A and a vehicle room B of an automobile are partitioned by a partition plate C (generally called a firewall and made of an iron plate). The blower unit 1 of the air conditioner is offset in the vehicle width direction from the center of the instrument panel P in the passenger compartment B (the right-hand drive vehicle is offset to the left in the vehicle width direction).
It is arranged.

The blower unit 1 has an inside / outside air switching box 1 for switching and introducing between the vehicle interior air and the vehicle exterior air in an upper portion thereof.
The inside / outside air switching box 11 has an outside air introduction port 12 and an inside air introduction port 13, and an inside / outside air switching door (not shown) for opening and closing the two introduction ports 12, 13 is provided in the inside. ) Is installed. Below the inside / outside air switching box 11,
As shown in FIG. 3, a blower 14 is arranged, and the blower 14 is a centrifugal multi-blade fan (sirocco fan) 1.
5, a fan drive motor 16 and a scroll casing 17.

The rotation axis of the fan 15 is arranged so as to be directed substantially vertically, and the rotation of the fan 15 causes the inside of the inside / outside air switching box 11 to be sucked through a bell mouth-shaped suction port (not shown) in the upper part of the scroll casing 17. The air is blown in a substantially horizontal direction toward the outlet of the scroll casing 17 (from the left side to the right side of the vehicle compartment B as understood from FIG. 1).

On the other hand, an air conditioner unit 2 containing a heat exchanger for air conditioning, which will be described later, is disposed at a substantially central portion of an instrument panel P in a vehicle compartment B. In the air conditioner unit 2, the evaporator (cooling heat exchanger) 21 of the refrigeration cycle is installed in a substantially horizontal state, and the blast air from the blower unit 1 is introduced from below and discharged upward.

A heater core (heat exchanger for heating) 22 is installed in a substantially horizontal state on the downstream side of the evaporator 21 (upper side of the vehicle compartment).
Is for heating blast air using engine cooling water (hot water) as a heat source. A plurality of blow-off air passages are provided in the upper part (downstream of the air) of the heater core 22 in the vehicle cabin.

That is, as the blow-out air passage,
A center face outlet air passage 25, a side face outlet air passage 26, a foot outlet air passage 27, and a defroster outlet air passage 28 are provided. The center face outlet air passage 25 is a center face (upper) outlet (not shown) for blowing air toward the head of an occupant in the passenger compartment.
Communicate with The side face blow-out air passage 26 similarly communicates with a side face blow-out port (not shown).

The foot outlet air passage 27 communicates with a foot (foot) outlet (not shown) for blowing air toward the feet of the occupant in the passenger compartment. Defroster outlet air passage 28
Communicates with a defroster outlet (not shown) for blowing air toward the window glass. Although not shown, in the air conditioner unit 2, a plurality of blow-off air passages 25, 26, 27, and 28 are provided at a portion above the heater core 22 by door means (a plate-like door, a rotary door having an arc-shaped outer peripheral surface,
A blowing mode switching unit that is switched and opened and closed by a film door or the like is built in. The plurality of outlet air passages 25, 26, 27, 28 are provided by door means of the outlet mode switching unit.
And a plurality of blowout modes such as a well-known face blowout mode, a bilevel blowout mode, a foot blowout mode, a defroster blowout mode, and a foot / defroster combined blowout mode can be selected.

In FIGS. 1 and 2 and FIG. 3, the specific form of the blow-out air passage is slightly modified, but is not a main part of the present invention, and the description of the differences will be omitted. . In this example, a hot water control valve (not shown) for controlling the flow rate of hot water to the heater core 22 is provided as temperature control means for air conditioning, and the flow rate of hot water to the heater core 22 is controlled by the hot water control valve. The temperature of air blown into the vehicle cabin is controlled by adjusting the amount of air heating by the air conditioning device 22.

FIG. 4 shows the structure of the evaporator 21. A thin metal plate having excellent corrosion resistance, such as aluminum, is laminated in the left-right direction in the drawing to form a tube 21f, and a corrugated fin 21g is provided between the tubes 21f.
Core part 2 that forms an air cooling part that cools air through
1h. At both ends of the core 21h, tanks 21e for distributing the refrigerant to the many tubes 21f or joining the refrigerant from the many tubes 21f are arranged.

FIG. 5 shows an assembling structure of the present embodiment. In the blower unit 1, the case is divided into three parts of a horizontal crack type having a horizontal dividing surface, that is, three parts.
The inside / outside air switching box 11, the scroll casing 17, and the upper lid 17a of the case 17 are divided into three parts. The above-mentioned bell mouth-shaped suction port 18 is opened in the upper lid 17a.

After the fan 15 of the blower 14 is integrally connected to the rotating shaft 16a of the motor 16, the fan 15 is disposed in the scroll casing 17, and the motor 16 is fixed to the scroll casing 17 by its flange 16b. Is done. Next, the scroll casing 17
The upper lid 17a is mounted on the upper end of the upper lid 17a, the inside / outside air switching box 11 is disposed above the bell mouth-shaped suction port 18 of the upper lid 17a, and the upper lid 17a and the inside / outside air switching box 11 are integrally assembled.

On the other hand, in the air conditioner unit 2 part, the case is divided into a vertically split left and right
Are divided into three cases 23 and 24 and a bowl-shaped lower case 30. Two cases 23, 2 of this vertical crack type
After housing components such as the evaporator 21, the heater core 22, and the air flow control door in one of the cases 4, the other case is connected to the other case by a known connecting means (for example, a metal spring clip). , Screwing, etc.)
To join.

The evaporator 21 has a lower case 3
0 is supported in the air conditioner unit 2 by an inner wall surface, and a partition portion 31 and a drainage guide plate 32 described later. Further, the inside / outside air switching box 11, the scroll casing 17, the upper lid 17a, and the cases 23 and 24 are formed of a resin having a certain degree of elasticity such as an ABS resin.

In the air conditioning unit layout described above, the evaporator 21 is arranged in a substantially horizontal direction, and the blown air is blown upward from below, so that the falling direction of the condensed water and the blow direction are opposite to each other. Therefore, improvement of drainage of condensed water generated in the evaporator 21 becomes a problem. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the following various measures are taken in order to improve the drainage property of the condensed water. That is, first, the evaporator 21
It is arranged slightly inclined from the horizontal plane. That is, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, the front side of the blown air blown by the blower 14 below the evaporator 21 (FIGS. 3 and 5).
(To the right), the evaporator 21 is arranged to be inclined downward by a small angle. Here, the inclination angle θ of the evaporator 21 is set in a range of 10 to 30 ° (18 ° in this example) so that the water retention amount of the evaporator 21 itself is reduced.

Second, the tube 21 of the evaporator 21
f is disposed so as to extend in the same direction as the blowing direction of the blowing air (the direction from the left side to the right side in FIGS. 3 and 5),
As a result, the condensed water is pressed by the blowing air on the surface of the tube 21f and smoothly moves to the inclined forward end (the right end in FIGS. 3 and 5). Here, the condensed water generated by the evaporator 21 is provided below the evaporator 21 (on the upstream side of the air) at the inclined lower end 32 of the evaporator 21.
The pipe 29 is drawn out of a condensed water discharge pipe 29 provided at a portion of the lower case 30 made of resin.
Is formed integrally at the bottom of the.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment in the above configuration will be described. In FIG. 3, the air flowing from the inside / outside air switching box 11 flows in the scroll casing 17 in a substantially horizontal direction by the blower fan 15 and flows into the lower part of the evaporator 21. Then, the blown air changes its direction upward and passes through the evaporator 21, where it is dehumidified and cooled, then flows further upward, is introduced into the heater core 22, and is heated here.

In the case of this embodiment, a hot water control valve (not shown) for controlling the amount of hot water to the heater core 22 is used as the air conditioning temperature control means, and the flow rate of hot water is adjusted by this hot water control valve. A so-called flow-control reheat method is used to obtain a desired blown air temperature. Then, the conditioned air reheated to the desired temperature by the heater core 22 is distributed to a predetermined outlet by an outlet mode switching unit disposed above the heater core 22.

Next, the evaporator 2 which is the main part of the present invention
The improvement of drainage of condensed water generated in 1 will be described.
In this example, as shown in FIG. 5, a drainage improving portion 33 having an H-shaped cross section is disposed in the lower case 30. Details of the drainage improving section 33 are shown in FIGS. FIG. 6 shows the drainage improvement section 3.
FIG. 7 is an exploded view of the lower case 30 removed from the lower case 30. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the lower case 30 in which the drainage improving section 33 and the evaporator 21 are assembled, as viewed from the direction of arrow A in FIG. FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line BB in FIG.
FIG. 9 is a top view in a state where the drainage improving section 33 in FIG. 6 is attached to the lower case 30.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, the lower case 30
The bottom surface 30a is formed to be inclined downward. As a result, the condensed water dropped on the bottom surface 30a collects at the portion where the condensed water drain pipe 29 is formed. In the lower case 30, as shown in FIG. 6, a guide for assembling the drainage improving part 33 and a rail-shaped guide part 34 for supporting the drainage improving part 33 are integrally formed. Further, the lower case 30 is formed with a boss 53 to which a screw 39 for fixing the drainage improving portion 33 is screwed.

The drainage improving section 33 is formed of a resin material such as polypropylene. The drainage improving portion 33 includes a plate-shaped partitioning portion 33a (plate-shaped member) and a plate-shaped drainage guide plate 33b.
(A drainage guide member) and a connecting portion 33c that connects the partition portion 33a and the drainage guide plate 33b. Partition part 3
The drain guide plate 3b and the drain guide plate 33b are formed wider as going to the right side in FIGS. This is because the first
The bottom surface 30a of the lower case 30 is inclined downward, and the lower end 35 of the partition 33a and the drain guide plate 3
This is because the lower end of 3b is along the bottom surface 30a. Secondly, the upper end 37 of the partition 33a and the upper end 38 of the drainage guide plate 33b extend in the horizontal direction so as to be in contact with the end surface of the evaporator 21.

In the present embodiment, the upper end portion 37 is formed of an elastomer rubber, and serves as a partitioning elastic portion 37 that can be elastically deformed. Further, in the present embodiment, the upper end portion 38 is formed of an elastomer rubber, and serves as an elastically deformable drainage elastic portion 38. In addition, the partition 33
6 is cut out in a semicircular shape on the right side in FIG. 6 of the lower end 35 of FIG. The lower end 36 of the drain guide plate 33b is cut into a semicircle on the right side in FIG.

The connecting portion 33c has a hole 40 into which the screw 39 is fitted. A plurality of drainage holes 41 are formed in the connecting portion 33c so as to be aligned with the holes 40 in the longitudinal direction. And the partitioning part 33a
Is inserted into the guide portion 34, and the screw 39 is inserted into the hole 40.
By being screwed into the boss 53 via the, the drainage improving portion 33 is attached and fixed in the lower case 30.

In this embodiment, although not shown in FIG. 6, the insulator 44 (FIGS. 7, 8, 9) is provided in the lower case 30 along the bottom surface 30a.
See). Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the drainage improving section 33 and the bottom surface 30 a form an insulator 4.
4 is held between them. In addition, the insulator 44 is provided not only on the bottom surface 30a but also on the inner wall surface of the lower case 30 so as to extend upward as shown in FIG. Also, the insulator 44
This is to prevent the dew on the outer surface of the lower case 30 due to the cold heat of the evaporator 21.

After the drainage improving section 33 is mounted in the lower case 30 as described above, the upper evaporator 21
Is disposed in the lower case 30 so that the tank portion 21e is placed on the drainage improving portion 33 as shown in FIG. That is, the evaporator 21 is disposed in the lower case 30 such that the tank portion 21e is located on the inclined lower end portion 32 side.

As a result, the partitioning elastic portion 37 and the draining elastic portion 38 are elastically deformed and come into contact with the tank portion 21e. As shown in FIG. 7, the partitioning portion 33 a is provided on the inclined upper end side of the evaporator 21 with respect to the drain guide plate 33 b, in a direction from the inclined upper end side to the inclined lower end side, and for the air passing through the evaporator 21. The evaporator 21 is disposed so as to extend continuously over the entire width of the evaporator 21 in a direction orthogonal to the blowing direction.

In other words, the partition portion 33a extends continuously in the direction in which the drain guide plate 33b is arranged so as to cover the drain guide plate 33b. In addition, the arrangement direction in the present example refers to a direction in which one plate-shaped drain guide plate 33b extends (vehicle longitudinal direction). Also, for example, the drainage guide plate 33
When b is arranged at a plurality of intervals, it means an arrangement direction of a plurality of drainage guide plates.

When the evaporator 21 is disposed in the lower case 30 in this manner, the condensed water generated by the evaporator 21 moves from the upper end side (left side in FIG. 7) of the evaporator 21 to the lower end side (right side in FIG. 7). ), And gathers at the inclined lower end portion 32, and then passes through the lower space 50 of the evaporator 21 to pass through the bottom surface 3 of the lower case 30.
It comes to drop at 0a.

As shown in FIG. 7, the lower space 50 is formed on the upstream side of the inclined lower end portion 32 by the partitioning portion 33a, and is provided with a ventilation space 50a through which the conditioned air flows, and a lower space than the ventilation space 50a. It is formed on the downstream side and is partitioned into a drainage space 50b in which condensed water collected at the inclined lower end portion 32 is dropped on the bottom surface 30a. And the drainage space 5
At 0b, a drain guide plate 33b is provided so as to be almost in contact with the inclined lower end portion 32 (completely in this example).

Next, the behavior of the condensed water in this embodiment will be described. The condensed water in the evaporator 21 is generated from the entire evaporator 21. However, since the conditioned air flows upward from below, the condensed water does not immediately fall downward due to its own weight. Along the lower surface 32.

After that, when the condensed water collected at the inclined lower end 32 grows to a certain size, it intermittently flows downward along the outer surface of the drain guide plate 33b on the right side in FIG. Repeat the draining motion. As a result, the condensed water transmitted through the drain guide plate 33b reaches the bottom surface 30a of the lower case 30 (actually, the upper surface of the insulator 44) and smoothly flows into the condensed water discharge pipe 29 due to the inclination of the bottom surface 30a. Is discharged.

When the condensed water mass collected at the inclined lower end 32 grows to a certain size, this condensed water becomes
The drainage guide plate 33b is also transmitted to the left side surface in FIG. Then, the condensed water reaches the upper surface of the connection plate 33c,
It flows down into the above-mentioned drain hole 41 and reaches the bottom surface 30a located just between the partition part 33a and the drainage guide plate 33b. And this condensed water, due to the inclination of the bottom surface 30a,
7 and 8, the water flows to the discharge pipe 29 from the drain hole 43, and is smoothly discharged to the outside of the vehicle compartment. Alternatively, the condensed water transmitted to the left side surface of the drain guide plate 33b in FIG. 7 reaches the upper surface of the connecting plate 33c, and collects at the lower end of the connecting plate 33c because the connecting plate 33c is inclined as shown in FIG. After that, it flows down into the drain hole 41 located at the lowest position (right side) in FIG. And this condensed water
Due to the inclination of the bottom surface 30a, the water flows to the left in FIGS. 7 and 8, flows into the discharge pipe 29 from the drain hole 43, and is smoothly discharged to the outside of the vehicle compartment.

In this embodiment, the evaporator 21 includes a tank 21 e in the lower case 30 and the inclined lower end 32.
Therefore, the behavior of the condensed water is significantly different from that of the conventional device. That is, according to the study of the present inventors, as shown in FIG. 4, the outer shape of the tank portion 21e is more complicated than that of the core portion 21h. It was found that it was difficult to collect, condensed water was not drained, and it was easy to fly.

For this reason, in this embodiment, as described above, the lower space 50 is partitioned into the ventilation space 50a and the drainage space 33b by the partitioning portion 33a.
3a covers the drain guide plate 33a. As a result, the conditioned air is reliably prevented from blowing upward from below onto the inclined lower end portion 32 where the condensed water has collected. As a result, without being affected by conditioned air at all,
Since the condensed water collected at the inclined lower end portion 32 is quickly discharged by the drain guide plate 33b and drops on the bottom surface 30a,
The drainage of condensed water can be effectively improved.

Further, in this embodiment, the drainage guide member is not disposed below the core portion 21h as in the conventional device, but is disposed below the tank portion 20e. Therefore, a reduction in the amount of conditioned air is reduced by the partition portion 33a. be able to. Further, in this example, when the evaporator 21 is disposed in the lower case 30, the partitioning elastic portion 37 is elastically deformed and the tank 21e is deformed.
, It is possible to reliably prevent the conditioned air from blowing against the inclined lower end portion 32. As a result, the condensed water collected on the inclined lower end portion 32 more quickly is discharged by the drainage guide plate 33b and easily dropped on the bottom surface, so that the drainage property of the condensed water can be remarkably improved. .

When the air pressure of the conditioned air is small (the amount of the conditioned air is small) or when the conditioned air is not flowing at all, the condensed water is removed from the air supply space 50a on the left side in FIG.
May drip. Even in this case, in this example, the condensed water can be satisfactorily discharged. In other words, the condensed water dropped into the ventilation space 50a drops onto the bottom surface 30a,
Due to the inclination of a, it flows to the right in FIG. Then, the condensed water flows into the condensed water discharge pipe 29 through the notches 42 and 43. That is, the notches 42, 4
3 and the bottom surface 30a (the upper surface of the insulator 44) constitute a drain passage 60 to the condensed water discharge pipe 29,
The condensed water dropped into the ventilation space 50a is guided to the drainage space 50b through the drain passage 60, so that the condensed water dropped into the ventilation space 50a can also be smoothly discharged to the condensed water discharge pipe 29.

The upper end of the partition portion 33a (the elastic portion 38 for partition) is near the boundary between the core portion 21h of the evaporator 21 and the tank portion 21e (in this example, near the tank 21e).
As a result, the conditioned air is prevented from being blown to the tank portion 21e, and the flow rate of the conditioned air passing through the core portion 21h does not need to be reduced. This improves the drainage of condensed water,
The cooling performance of the evaporator 21 does not need to be reduced.

In the present invention, the drain guide plate 33b
It is not always necessary to make contact with the tank portion 21e, and a gap may be formed in a range where the condensed water can be dropped from the inclined lower end portion 32 in a favorable manner. However, in this case, the gap becomes large due to an error in assembling the evaporator 21 to the lower case 30, and a problem occurs that the condensed water cannot be guided to the bottom surface 30a by the drain guide plate 33b.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the drainage elastic portion 38 is formed, and the drainage elastic portion 38 is elastically deformed so as to come into contact with the tank 21e.
Regardless of the assembly error of 1 or the manufacturing tolerance of the evaporator 21, the condensed water can be reliably guided to the bottom surface 30a.
In the present example, the partitioning elastic part 37 and the draining elastic part 38 serve as a base for supporting the evaporator 21.
For this reason, the evaporator 21 can be held in the lower case 30 by the partitioning elastic portion 37 and the draining elastic portion 38 irrespective of the assembly error of the evaporator 21 and the manufacturing tolerance of the evaporator 21 itself.

Further, in the present invention, the partition plate 33a and the drain guide plate 33b may be formed separately, but in this case, the partition portion 33a and the drain guide plate 33b are attached to the lower case 30, respectively. It is necessary and mounting workability is poor. Therefore, in this example, the connecting workability can be improved by connecting the partition plate 33a and the drainage guide plate 33b with the connecting portion 33c to be integrated.

(Second Embodiment) The drainage improvement section 33 of this example
FIG. 6 in the first embodiment as shown in FIG.
The intermediate drainage guide plate 33b is eliminated, and the partition plate 33a is used as a drainage guide plate for guiding condensed water to the bottom surface 30a. FIG. 10 is a diagram corresponding to FIG.
1 is a view corresponding to FIG. 7, in which the partition plate 33a in FIG. 6 is a drain guide plate 33b '.

As shown in FIG. 11, the drain guide plate 33b '
Is disposed so as to be in contact with the lower surface of the tank portion 21 e of the evaporator 21.
The upper end 37 of b 'is disposed so as to be in contact with a boundary V between the core 21h and the tank 21e. By arranging the drain guide plate 33b 'on the lower surface of the tank 21e, the drain guide plate 33b' does not obstruct the flow of the conditioned air passing through the core 21h. For this reason, for example, when the vehicle interior is cooled with a large amount of conditioned air in summer or the like, the air volume can be increased, and the cooling capacity of the evaporator 21 can be sufficiently exhibited.

In this embodiment, since the drain guide plate 33b 'is located at the boundary V, the flow of condensed water is as follows. In this example, since the inclination angle θ of the evaporator 21 is 18 ° as in the first embodiment, the condensed water reaches the inclined lower end 32 of the evaporator 21 and flows downward as shown by an arrow P in FIG. .

On the other hand, since the drainage guide plate 33b 'is disposed so as to be in contact with the boundary V, the condensed water is also guided downward from the boundary V by the drainage guide plate 33b'. The condensed water transmitted through the drain guide plate 33b 'reaches the bottom surface 30a of the lower case 30, and smoothly flows into the condensed water discharge pipe 29 due to the inclination of the bottom surface 30a, and is discharged outside the vehicle compartment.

Here, the drain guide plate 33b 'on the left side in FIG.
The condensed water is also guided downward on the plate surface on the upper end side of the slant. Also, when the wind pressure of the conditioned air is small (the amount of the conditioned air is small) or when the conditioned air is not flowing at all, the condensed water may drop into the ventilation space 50a on the left side in FIG. Even in this case, in this example, the condensed water can be satisfactorily discharged.

That is, the notch 42 and the bottom surface 30a (actually, the upper surface of the insulator 44) constitute a drain passage 60 to the condensed water discharge pipe 29. Since the dripping condensed water is guided to the drainage space 50b, the ventilation space 50a
The condensed water discharge pipe 2
9 can be discharged.

Further, the drainage guide member 33b 'in the present embodiment.
Is formed in a plate shape so as to extend continuously over the entire region in the longitudinal direction of the tank portion 21e, so that it is less likely that air blows on the inclined lower end side of the drainage guide member through which condensed water flows down as compared with the related art. Therefore, the condensed water is quickly guided without being affected by air, and drops on the bottom surface. As a result, the drainage of condensed water can be improved.

Further, in this embodiment, the lower space 50 is formed by the drainage guide plate 33b 'so that
Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the air from blowing against the inclined lower end 32 of the evaporator 21 where the condensed water collects. Therefore, the condensed water collected on the inclined lower end portion 32 is quickly dropped on the bottom surface without being affected by the air. As a result, the drainage of the condensed water can be further improved.

(Third Embodiment) This embodiment is different from the second embodiment in that the inclination angle θ of the evaporator 21 is 8 °. FIG. 12 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. That is, in this example, the inclination angle θ is set to 8 ° in order to reduce the vertical dimension of the air conditioner as described in “Means for Solving the Problems”. Then, the condensed water flows along the surface of the evaporator 21 as in the first embodiment described above.
e does not flow down to the inclined lower end 32, just the tank 2
It turned out that it dripped below the boundary V of 1e and the core part 21h.

The reason why this phenomenon occurs is as follows. The drop of condensed water from the boundary V is caused by the core 21
The condensed water that has flowed downward along the surface (the portion that comes into contact with the air) of the tank 21e is concavo-convex because the outer shape of the tank portion 21e is uneven and complex as described above, and thus the condensed water has flowed from the core portion 21h to the inclined lower end side Cannot get over the unevenness of this tank part 21e,
When the conditioned air is flowing through the core 21h, most of the water is retained at the boundary V by the wind pressure. Then, when the amount of water retention reaches a certain amount, the water drops downward due to its own weight, or when the air volume (wind speed) is large, the water splashes upward.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the position of the drainage guide plate 33b 'is set to be in contact with the boundary V. Thereby, the condensed water from the boundary V is discharged to the drain guide plate 33 on the right side in FIG.
It flows down along the outer surface of b '(the plate surface located on the left and right in FIG. 11). As a result, the drainage guide plate 33
The condensed water that has passed through the bottom case 30 b
, And smoothly flows into the condensed water discharge pipe 29 due to the inclination of the bottom surface 30a, and is discharged outside the vehicle compartment. By doing so, the vertical dimension of the air conditioner can be reduced, and the condensed water can be reliably guided downward by the drain guide plate.

(Fourth Embodiment) This embodiment is different from the third embodiment in that a partition 33a is added so that the conditioned air does not blow on the drain guide plate 33b '. FIG.
FIG. 3 shows a configuration diagram of the drainage improving unit 33 of the present example. FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, in this example, the arrangement position of the drainage improving section 33 of the first embodiment is shifted to the upper end side of the slope. However, the partitioning elastic portion 37 is not formed at the upper end portion of the partitioning portion 33a, and between the upper end portion of the partitioning portion 33a and the core portion 21h so that air passes through all of the core portion 21h. A gap is provided.

By doing so, it is difficult for the conditioned air to blow onto the condensed water retained at the boundary V, so that the condensed water can be smoothly drained without the condensed water blowing off.
It can be guided downward by b '. With such a configuration, the following effects can be obtained as compared with the third embodiment. That is, if the inclination angle θ is further reduced in the third embodiment, it becomes difficult for condensed water to collect at the boundary V,
The condensed water attached near the boundary V is blown off by the conditioned air. Therefore, in this example, the inclination angle θ can be reduced as compared with the third embodiment by preventing the conditioned air from hitting the vicinity of the boundary V and the drainage guide plate 33b ′ by the partitioning portion 33a.

FIG. 14 shows experimental data obtained by the present inventor using the inclination angle θ as a parameter to measure the limit of the airflow of the conditioned air in which the condensed water blows off (hereinafter referred to as the “water splash limit airflow”). As can be seen from FIG. 15, in this example, even if the inclination angle θ is set to 2.5 °, it is possible to obtain a water splash limit air volume that is approximately equal to 20 °. (Fifth Embodiment) In the fourth embodiment, the drainage improving section 3
Although 3 is separate from the inside of the air-conditioning case 30, it may be formed integrally with the air-conditioning case 30 as shown in FIG.

(Sixth Embodiment) In the above embodiment, air flows from the upper end of the evaporator 21 to the lower end of the evaporator 21 and then passes through the evaporator 21. As shown in FIG. 16 and FIG. 17 (a diagram in which FIG. 16 is viewed downward from above), air may flow in the stacking direction of the tubes 21 f and pass through the evaporator 21. However, in this case, the partition portion 33a is formed in an L shape so that air does not hit the tank portion 21e, as shown in FIG.

FIG. 18 shows the experimental data of the limit airflow with respect to the presence or absence of the partition portion 33a in this example. The inclination angle θ of the evaporator 21 can be reduced. (Other Embodiments) In each of the above embodiments, the evaporator 2
1 is a laminated type as described above, but the present invention is not limited to this, and other types such as a so-called serpentine type in which a multi-hole flat tube is bent and formed in a meandering shape and a corrugated fin is combined with the meandering tube. There may be.

In each of the above embodiments, the elastic portion 37 for partitioning and the elastic portion 38 for drainage are formed. However, at least one of them may be provided, or may not be provided at all. Further, in each of the above embodiments, the drainage improving portion 33 is formed of resin, but may be formed of an elastically deformable material such as rubber. In each of the above embodiments, the partition elastic portion 37 and the drain elastic portion 38 are formed of elastomer rubber. However, for example, the upper ends of the partition plate 33a and the drain guide plate 33b are formed so as to be easily elastically deformed. Alternatively, it may be formed in a thin shape.

Further, in each of the above embodiments, the evaporator 21 is arranged such that the tank portion 21e forms the inclined lower end portion 32. However, the tank portion 21e is provided only at the inclined upper end portion as in the above-described conventional device. The present invention can be applied to a single tank type evaporator as described above. Further, the present invention can be applied to a single tank type tank in which the tank section is disposed at the inclined lower end.

Further, in each of the above embodiments, the flow control reheat system using the hot water control valve for controlling the amount of hot water to the heater core 22 as the air conditioning temperature control means has been described. The present invention can also be applied to an air-mix type using an air-mix damper that controls the ratio of the amount of wind and the amount of cool air that does not pass through the heater core 22.

In each of the above embodiments, the present invention has been described with reference to a vehicle air conditioner. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Further, in each of the above embodiments, the partition plate 33a is brought into contact with the evaporator 21 to partition the lower space 50 into two, a ventilation space 50a and a drainage space 50b. You may do it.

In each of the above embodiments, the drain guide plate 3
Although 3a is arranged so as to be in contact with the evaporator 21, a gap may be slightly opened. In the first embodiment, the partitioning portion 33a is disposed so as to substantially coincide with the boundary V. However, the partitioning portion 33a may be slightly displaced, for example, displaced 5 mm from the boundary V toward the upper end side or the lower end side inclined. Are also included in the present invention.

In the second to sixth embodiments,
Although the drainage guide plate 33b 'is disposed so as to substantially coincide with the boundary V, the drainage guide plate 33b' may be slightly shifted. .

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a vehicle air-conditioning system according to each embodiment of the present invention mounted on a vehicle.

FIG. 2 is a vehicle mounting diagram of the vehicle air conditioner in each of the embodiments.

FIG. 3 is an overall configuration diagram of a vehicle air conditioner in each of the above embodiments.

FIG. 4 is an overall configuration diagram of an evaporator in each of the above embodiments.

FIG. 5 is an assembly structural view of the vehicle air conditioner in each of the embodiments.

FIG. 6 is an assembly structure diagram of a drainage improvement section 33 in the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a detailed view of a main part of a drainage improvement section in the first embodiment.

8 is a sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a top view as viewed from above in FIG.

FIG. 10 shows a drainage improvement section 3 according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is an assembly structure diagram of No. 3;

FIG. 11 is a detailed view of a main part of a drainage improvement section in the second embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a detailed view of a main part of a drainage improvement section according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a detailed view of a main part of a drainage improvement section according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 shows experimental data in the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a detailed view of a main part of a drainage improvement section according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a detailed view of a main part of a drainage improvement section according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a view of FIG. 16 viewed from above to below.

FIG. 18 shows experimental data in the sixth embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

Reference numeral 21: cooling heat exchanger, 30: lower case, 30a: bottom surface, 32: inclined lower end, 33a: partition plate, 50: lower space, 50a: ventilation space, 50b: drainage space.

Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Kenji Suwa 1-1-1, Showa-cho, Kariya-shi, Aichi Pref.

Claims (13)

[Claims] An air conditioning case (30) forming an air passage; and a cooling heat exchanger (21) disposed in the air conditioning case (30) for cooling the passing air. The exchanger (21) is provided with the air conditioning case (3).
0), the ventilation surface thereof is arranged at an angle, air is introduced from below and is led out upward, and furthermore, it is substantially in contact with the inclined lower end side of the cooling heat exchanger (21). A drain guide member (33b) arranged in a space (50) below the cooling heat exchanger (21), and condensed water generated in the cooling heat exchanger (21) After flowing along the inclined lower end side from the inclined upper end side of the exchanger (21), along the outer surface of the drainage guide member (33b), the bottom surface (30a) of the air conditioning case (30).
The plate-shaped member (33a) provided on the inclined upper end side of the drainage guide member (33b) in the lower space (50) in the air-conditioning case (30). The plate-shaped member (33a) has the drain guide member (33).
An air conditioner characterized by extending continuously in the arrangement direction of the drainage guide member (33b) so as to cover b). 2. A drain passage (6) for guiding condensed water dropped from the plate-like member (33a) to the inclined upper end side to the drain guide member (33b) in the air conditioning case (30).
0), and the drainage passage (60) is constituted by the lower end portions (36, 42) of the plate member (33a) and the bottom surface (30a) of the air conditioning case (30). The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein 3. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the plate member (33a) and the drainage guide member (33b) are integrally formed. 4. The plate-like member (33a) is arranged such that the lower space (50) is on the upper end side of the inclined space, and a ventilation space (50a) through which the air flows and a lower end of the inclined space (50a). On the side, a drainage space (50) for guiding the condensed water
The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the air conditioner is partitioned into b) and (b). 5. The drainage guide member (33b) is provided at its upper end with a drainage elastic portion (38) that elastically deforms and contacts the inclined lower end (32). 4. The air conditioner according to 4. 6. The plate-like member (33a) has a partitioning elastic portion (37) formed at an upper end portion (37) of the plate-shaped member (33a) to elastically deform and come into contact with the inclined lower end portion (32). The air conditioner according to claim 4 or 5, wherein 7. The cooling heat exchanger (21) includes a plurality of tubes (21f) through which a refrigerant flows, and is stacked to form an air cooling unit (21h). At least one end of the tank section (2) distributes refrigerant to the plurality of tubes (21f) or merges refrigerant flowing through the plurality of tubes (21f).
1e) is formed, and the cooling heat exchanger (21) is provided with the tank portion (21).
e) is disposed in the air conditioning case (30) so as to be positioned on the lower end side of the slope, and the drainage guide member (33)
b) is arranged so as to substantially contact the lower surface of said tank portion (21e).
The air conditioner according to any one of the above. 8. An upper end (3) of the plate-like member (33a).
7) The air cooling unit (21h) and the tank unit (2)
The air conditioner according to claim 7, wherein the air conditioner is disposed so as to be in contact with the vicinity of the boundary with 1e). 9. An air-conditioning case (30) forming an air passage; and a cooling heat exchanger (21) disposed in the air-conditioning case (30) for cooling the passing air. The exchanger (21) is provided with the air conditioning case (3).
0), the ventilation surface thereof is arranged obliquely so that air is introduced from below and led out upward, and furthermore, it is substantially in contact with the inclined lower end side of the cooling heat exchanger (21). The drainage guide members (33b, 33) arranged in the space (50) below the cooling heat exchanger (21)
b '), the condensed water generated in the cooling heat exchanger (21) flows from the inclined upper end side to the inclined lower end side of the cooling heat exchanger (21), and then the drainage guide A bottom surface (30a) of the air conditioning case (30) along the outer surface of the member (33b).
The cooling heat exchanger (21) is configured such that a plurality of tubes (21f) through which a refrigerant flows are laminated to form an air cooling unit (21h). At least one end of the exchanger (21) is provided with a tank part (21e) for distributing the refrigerant to the plurality of tubes (21f) or joining the refrigerant flowing through the plurality of tubes (21f). The cooling heat exchanger (21) is provided in the tank section (21).
e) is disposed in the air-conditioning case (30) such that the drain guide member (33b, 33b ') is located substantially at the lower end of the tank so that the drain guide member (33b, 33b') substantially contacts the lower surface of the tank portion (21e). An air conditioner characterized by being arranged. 10. An upper end portion (37) of the drainage guide member (33b ') is arranged so as to substantially contact a boundary between the air cooling portion (21h) and the tank portion (21e). The air conditioner according to claim 7, characterized in that: 11. The drainage guide member (33b ′) is configured to extend continuously over substantially the entire area in the longitudinal direction of the tank portion (21e). Air conditioner. 12. A drain passage in the air-conditioning case (30) for guiding condensed water dropped from the drain guide member (33b) to the inclined upper end side to the inclined lower end side from the drain guide member (33b '). (60), wherein the drain passage (60) is provided with the drain guide member (33b).
The air conditioner according to claim 11, characterized in that the air conditioner comprises a lower end portion (36, 42) and a bottom surface (30a) of the air conditioning case (30). 13. The drainage guide member (33b ') includes a space (50a) through which the air flows and a space (50a) through which the air flows, at the upper end of the lower space (50).
The air conditioner according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the lower end side of the inclined part is separated from a drainage space (50b) for guiding the condensed water.